The proposed study will use both functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI and MRI) to begin to delineate the neural systems associated with the emergency of high-level linguistic functions in normally developing children, aged 7 to 14. More specifically, this pilot project has two main goals. First, we will use fMRI to qualify and quantify developmental changes in the pattern or cortical activity (in terms of localization, magnitude, spatial extent, and inter-regional connectivity) associated with language processing at the level of closed formal linguistic systems (i.e., phonology, semantics, syntax), as well as with language processing in its broader communicative context (i.e., prosody, discourse, pragmatics). Second, we will relate the developmental changes in the neural networks subserving language processing observed with fMRI, to age-related changes in brain morphometry (in terms of regional volume, gray and white matter concentrations, shape, and asymmetry) as assessed by structural MRI. The findings of the proposed cross-sectional study will form the cornerstone of a longitudinal research program aimed at fully elucidating the neural developments associated with the emergence of mature linguistic competence in normally developing children. Furthermore, these developmental findings will provide normative data for evaluating the patterns of brain dysfunction associated with the linguistic and communicative impairments observed in a variety of developmental disorders (e.g., dyslexia, autism, early-onset schizophrenia). By delineating the relationship among language processing, brain function, and brain structure, this study will begin to bridge the informational gap on the neural basis of language in the normally developing brain. Moreover, the proposed project will highlight how an integrated nature of brain-behavior interactions. At a theoretical level, a deeper understanding of the neural basis of language processing, particularly of how it changes and develops as a function of learning, will enlighten our thinking about the origin and modularity of language.
| McNealy, Kristin; Mazziotta, John C; Dapretto, Mirella (2011) Age and experience shape developmental changes in the neural basis of language-related learning. Dev Sci 14:1261-82 |
| Wang, A Ting; Lee, Susan S; Sigman, Marian et al. (2007) Reading affect in the face and voice: neural correlates of interpreting communicative intent in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 64:698-708 |
| Lee, Susan S; Dapretto, Mirella (2006) Metaphorical vs. literal word meanings: fMRI evidence against a selective role of the right hemisphere. Neuroimage 29:536-44 |
| Wang, A Ting; Lee, Susan S; Sigman, Marian et al. (2006) Neural basis of irony comprehension in children with autism: the role of prosody and context. Brain 129:932-43 |
| Dapretto, Mirella; Lee, Susan S; Caplan, Rochelle (2005) A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of discourse coherence in typically developing children. Neuroreport 16:1661-5 |
